Private hospitals will have to display treatment costs

October 8, 2012
tp-doctor-apollo-hospital-delhi

New Delhi, October 8: In a major move aimed at checking unnecessary medical tests and procedures, the health ministry on Sunday said it was working on a plan to make it mandatory for all private hospitals to declare and display the treatment costs of different diseases.

Jagdish Prasad, director general of health services (DGHS), told TOI that the ministry's plan would check overbilling and bring in transparency in the healthcare sector.

"Our aim is to notify standard costs for various medical procedures such as angioplasty, coronary bypass surgery etc. We also plan to categorize hospitals based on quality of services offered and develop standard treatment costs for each category," DGHS Prasad said.

He said suggestions are being sought from all stakeholders, including the corporate-run hospitals, on how the new system can be rolled out.

"We will initially ask each hospital to give their treatment charges, which would help us slot these hospitals into categories," Prasad said. A standard guideline for treating conditions like heart attack, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer, is also on the anvil, the senior ministry official said.

Unwarranted procedures add to cost

Prasad said the guidelines will be introduced under the Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act 2010, which was notified recently.

The planned guidelines would also give a boost to evidence-based approach to treatment, said Dr Kameshwar Prasad, head of the clinical epidemiology unit of AIIMS. "Unwarranted procedures and diagnostic tests put extra financial burden on the healthcare system and cause increased morbidity and mortality. For example, a person suffering from muscular chest pain does not require angiography. Still, many hospitals routinely put such patients through this procedure," the doctor said.

Experts cite studies showing rampant use of unnecessary procedures in India. For instance, hormone replacement therapy is carried out in post-menopausal women despite there being no evidence that it reduces cardiac events. Similarly, antioxidant vitamins are commonly prescribed for reducing cardiovascular disease though there's no evidence of its efficacy. The Elisa test has till recently been widely used for diagnosis of tuberculosis. It has since been banned due to its unreliability.

The DGHS also said patient treatment cannot be taken as a clinical trial. "Stem cell therapy is being offered for spine injuries by many hospitals and patients are charged for that. This despite the fact that there's no proven effect of the therapy. This can only be stopped through patient awareness and strict monitoring by government agencies," Prasad said.

AIIMS is leading a first-of-its kind global initiative to promote evidence-based healthcare. Said institute director, Dr R C Deka, "Awareness of the latest evidence-based treatments is necessary. However, treatment costs should also be borne in mind by doctors while suggesting procedures for patients."Deka also said overprescription was also leading to immunity against many antibiotics, a problem that was likely to become serious in the future. Standardized procedures should help in curbing this trend, he added.


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News Network
July 26,2020
Bhopal, Jul 26: BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Saturday appealed people to recite the Hanuman Chalisa five times a day till August 5, which she believes will rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic.
`Bhoomi pujan’ or the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya is to take place on August 5.
“Let us all of us together make a spiritual effort to wish people good health and end the coronavirus epidemic.
Recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ five times a day at your home from July 25 to August 5,” the Bhopal MP tweeted.
“Conclude this ritual by lighting lamps on August 5 and offering ‘aarti’ to Lord Ram at home,” she added.
She also shared a video on Twitter, in which she said the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is making efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus by imposing lockdown in Bhopal till August 4.
“Though the lockdown will be over on August 4, this ritual (recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa, a hymn in praise of Lord Hanuman) will end on August 5, when ‘bhoomi pujan’ for Ram temple in Ayodhya will be performed. We will celebrate that day like Diwali,” she added.
“When people... Hindus from across the country recite the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ in one voice, it will definitely work and we will be free from coronavirus...This is your prayer to Lord Ram,” said Thakur.

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News Network
April 15,2020

New Delhi, Apr 15: With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 11,439, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the total tally, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated.

With 38 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll rises to 377.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state with 2,687 cases of which 259 patients have recovered/discharged while 178 patients have lost their lives due to the virus.

Delhi comes in at the second position with 1,561 cases of which 30 patients have recovered while 30 patients have succumbed to the virus.

Tamil Nadu is the third state with over 1,000 cases at 1,204 cases of which 81 have recovered and 12 have died due to the deadly virus.

Rajasthan is nearing the 1,000 mark with 969 cases of which 147 people have recovered while 3 patients are dead. Madhya Pradesh reported 730 cases including 51 patients recovered and 50 patients dead.

On Tuesday, in an address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the 21-day national lockdown has been extended till May 3.

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News Network
May 12,2020

New Delhi, May 12: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was admitted to the AIIMS here after suffering reaction to a new medication, was discharged on Tuesday.

The 87-year-old Congress leader was discharged around 12:30 pm, hospital sources said.

Manmohan Singh was shifted to a private ward in the Cardio-Neuro tower on Monday night. He was also tested for Covid-19 and his results had come out negative, the sources said. The Congress leader was admitted to the hospital on Sunday evening after he complained of uneasiness.

The sources said that Singh had developed a reaction to a new medication and was admitted to AIIMS for observation and investigation.

Manmohan Singh is currently a Member of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. He was the prime minister between 2004 and 2014.

In 2009, Singh underwent a successful coronary bypass surgery at the AIIMS.

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